is my mare in foal

Question
Hi,please can you help as my head is spinning with different suggestions from different friends.i bought my son a pony 4 months ago and she has been an ideal loving willing pony ,she has never kicked,bitten or been nasty in any way,i had a friend back her and help school her and my son and daughter have both ridden her i also admit i have ridden her at a walk a few times .she is a welsh partbred and is 3yrs old.my problem is she (ever so gently) bucked me off ,not to make me fall but i landed standing up and beside her.now i worry that she will do it with my son or daughter on her,several people have said she looks in foal, but to me she is just fat,and i just put it down to the grass as she has not been in a field with any stallions just 1 mare.she is a bit fatter on one side? but i asked the previous owner and she says she wasnt covered at hers but there was a colt in the field with her?. would she of gently sent me off if she was in foal and how would i know. thankyou

Answer
Hi Michelle,

Thanks for your question.

It sounds like the pony was just reacting to the extra weight of you vs children.  This often happens with ponies, especially when they are newly broken.  Chances of her doing it with the children on board are slim, but if you are concerned I would recommend that you have someone knowledgeble ride her. It's always better to be safe than sorry! Bucking can become a nasty habit if the pony gets away with it once too often.

As for the pregnancy, the only way to tell for sure is to have her preg tested by a vet.  She needs to be at least 60 days into her pregnancy for the vet to tell for sure.

It also depends on the age of the colt.  Most colts have the ability to sire a foal from about 6mths, but they are usually around the 12mth mark before they get any real urges.  

If you get her preg tested and she isn't in foal I would recommend putting her on a diet pretty quickly.  If possible yard her of a night with plenty of lower grade grass hay or oat straw.  Overweight ponies are prone to founder (laminitis) and believe me you don't want to witness that, it's a heart breaking condition and extrememly painful for the pony.  You also don't want to leave the pony without food for extended periods either.  Ponies can suffer from low blood sugar (just like humans)and this can be fatal.  If you do yard her make sure she has access to low quality hay and plenty of water.  Don't yard for too long.  Ponies usually eat mainly at night so yard her overnight and let her out during the day.

Of course, if her preg test is positive, then you will need to get your vet to ascertain the stage of pregnancy and treat her accordingly.

If you need further help, just ask.


Good luck!